


Across the Country

by stellarstarkk



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (with the help of an actual GPS), Bonding, Cross-country Road Trip, First Kiss, Human Disaster Tony Stark, Human GPS Steve Rogers, M/M, Multiple chapters, Pining, Pining Tony Stark, Rhodey is a little shit, Road Trip, Shirtless Steve Rogers, Tony Stark is immunocompromised, solar eclipse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27842425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarstarkk/pseuds/stellarstarkk
Summary: Steve asks Tony to go see the solar eclipse with him. The best viewing spot is in Wyoming. And they have to drive.or, tony accidentally sees steve shirtless in multiple motel rooms.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Steve Rogers
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the first day and then suddenly my mental health decided to tank. So, I’m posting it here in hopes to motivate me to write more of it because I genuinely want to finish the fic.

Steve always had an interest in space, it was something the whole team knew. He wasn’t exactly subtle about it, anyways.

Despite that, Tony was still surprised when Steve asked him to see the solar eclipse with him. It wasn’t like he couldn’t see it on his own - though, granted, the spot he wanted to go was pretty damn far away.

”You want to see the solar eclipse,” Tony said.

Steve nodded. He was rocking on his heels and looking at the engineer expectantly.

”With me,”

He nodded again.

”In Wyoming?” 

The Captain pressed his lips into a thin line, probably realizing how unappealing it sounded. “You don’t have to if you’re busy, I could ask Clint or Sam instead-“

Tony put his hand up to stop Steve from rambling any further. “It’s okay, I’m free, it’s just,” He stood up from the rolling chair in front of his workbench. “Wyoming? I feel like there are better spots to see it than the middle of nowhere.”

He saw his friend look down, smiling gingerly. “It’s the best place to view it, and I was hoping to see it this time around.”

He knew what he meant. There had been a few solar eclipses while he was still in the war or in the ice, but this would be the first he was available for. (Available in big quotation marks, they never knew when aliens or monsters would come out the woodwork and attack New York.)

Tony smiled. “You know what, sure. I will take you to see the solar eclipse.” 

Steve lit up, and the grin on his face nearly blinded him. 

He gave Steve’s shoulder a couple claps, if only to get closer and see the twinkle in his eyes, which made it worth giving up an entire day just to not see the sun.

“Thank you, Tony. It means a lot. I can barely even remember the last time I went on a road trip.”

 _Road trip._ That was okay. He was expecting a quick flight in and out of Wyoming, but this was okay. Tony could do road trips.

“No problem, Cap.” 

He had long resolved his feelings for Steve. He’d like to call it a crush, but there was something in the back of his mind. An itch that he just can’t scratch, you could say.

They just kind of stood there in his lab, unusually close. Tony took a step back. 

“Well, we should probably start packing then. Unless you want to skip the tourist spots and go straight there, which is understandable.” He started fidgeting with his own hands, nothing to keep them busy and out of the way.

“I think it would be fun to see the rest of the country. Believe it or not, I’ve never actually been a tourist before.”

Tony could believe that. Brooklyn, born and raised, anybody who was anybody knew. He probably just didn’t have a reason to leave until the serum came along.

“Then let’s go.” He started walking out of the lab, expecting Steve to follow him, which he did. “The eclipse is in 4 days, we’ve got no time to lose.”

  
  
  


Their destination: Goodrich Park, Wyoming.

Avengers Tower didn’t have a garage like his Miami house did, so they went to a rental service to pick a ride. Steve didn’t voice his opinion, but Tony saw him eyeing a white convertible with a black, leather interior, so he chose for him. It wasn’t the best of the bunch, but he knew Steve wasn’t that into style. 

Inspecting it closer, he saw all of the grime and dirt and bumps that he was sure Steve had already seen. It was probably the reason he was looking at it. When he looked back at the blond, all he got in return was a shrug. 

He rolled his eyes, paid the guy running the desk, and held up the keys for Steve to see. “We’ve got her for a week. I’m just hoping she doesn’t break down half way through the trip.”

“You’re the one who chose it.”

“You’re the one who wanted it.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“Don’t worry about it,” He got into the front seat. “Hop in, Captain.”

After they were both in their seats, he started the engine and they were off.  
  


The drive was boring at first, the familiar New York sounds filling in for the silence.

They hadn’t set up a travel plan, they hadn’t had time. The only thing they had the foresight to grab was a couple of those eclipse glasses that he (for some reason) still had lying around.

Once they got out of the densest part of the city, he asked, “So, Cap, where do you want to go? What kind of landmarks you wanna see?”

Steve hummed thoughtfully before pulling out his phone. “The most interesting thing between here and Indiana is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” He hadn’t looked very long, but it would be quick and they had plenty of time.

Tony had already done some approximate calculations in his head to determine how long the drive would take without the stops, which was just over a day. They could see more than just a few landmarks and catch a couple motels while still making it in time, but he had a feeling that a day to do fuck-all in Wyoming with Captain America would be on the agenda, whether he liked it or not.

“You ever met any rock and roll stars, Cap?” He wiped a thumb under his nose as the cityscape around them became smaller and less city-like in general.

“Yeah, I think one or two, but you’ve never heard of them.”

“Try me. I could spot a musician from the 40’s just as well as I could one from the 90’s.” 

Steve gave him an incredulous look, but shrugged. “Shook hands with Dinah Washington,”

The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t pin down who it was. _Damn you, Cap, you and your being right._ “Okay, you got me, who’s that?”

“Jazz singer,” Was all he got.

“That isn’t rock and roll,” Tony mock frowned and put his bottom lip forward in a pout, earning him a smile that was all too perfect. 

But he looked over at Steve and deepened his frown. “C’mon, Stevie, you didn’t meet even one famous person?”

Steve knew by that point that Tony was teasing him and reached over to flick him in the temple. “How to I get that stupid look off your stupid face?”

 _By kissing it with your stupid face,_ Was the first thing that came to mind, but he quickly pushed it away and let up with a smile. 

“No need to get violent now, let’s save that for when we hate each other 30 miles from now.”

After that, it was silent again. But this silence was warmer, more friendly. He was more content with this kind of silence.

They just drove, far past the 30 mile mark. At some point, Steve has put on some music that, despite being so obviously old, was pretty good. He didn’t know they had a “music for super old people” station, but he didn’t mind. It was a distraction from whatever was ebbing at the back of his mind.

And just like that, they were in Pennsylvania. He was quite surprised Steve hadn’t chosen some historical landmark to stop and ogle at, but it was probably for the better. He wasn’t into that kind of stuff.

“I would like to, by the way,” He briefly glanced to Steve, who looked confused. “Go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” He clarified. Steve smiled at him and nodded.

“Cool.”

They were finally out of the city, now met with green hills and forests made up of trees he didn’t quite recognize. There were less cars, but still enough where they wouldn’t notice when one passed by. 

The lack of sound pollution had allowed Tony to hear Steve’s quiet humming to whatever was on the radio. It wasn’t unusual to hear Steve hum, sometimes he even sang. But something about this felt intimate, to be treasured, as if it would never be heard again. So that he did.

Eventually, he found himself humming too, though it wasn’t nearly as good as Cap’s, since he had never heard this song in his life. But it was still nice. He heard the occasional waiver of Steve’s voice as he chuckled at Tony’s utter failure.

This was good.

  
  
  


Eventually, after hours of joking and sitting uncomfortably in the same positions, they arrived at their destination. Not Wyoming, but Cleveland, Ohio. Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was made up of a few pyramid-type buildings with some big white shapes sticking out in unconventional places.

With a Tony Stark Smile™ and a few extra bucks, he got two tickets inside, handing one politely to Steve, who took it gratefully.

Exploring the building, he watched as Steve discovered American music legends like Elvis, Whitney Houston, and The Rolling Stones. He was having more fun watching than he’d like to admit.

“And here I thought I’d never get you to listen to my music,” Tony said when Steve had finally wandered back in his direction.

“I always like to try new things,” Steve looked down at him with a smile. They stared at each other for a while before he absentmindedly grabbed the soldier’s hand, immediately sliding his grip up to his wrist and leading him further into the museum. Holding Steve’s hand was _not_ something he could deal with right now.

“I’ve got something I want you to show you,”

A minute later. Tony had managed to drag Steve to a small glass wall. Behind it was some electric bases and guitars, an outfit with a black and red striped tie, and something that looked like a $1 bill with an angry looking man on it.

“AC/DC,” He pointed to the wall and let Steve admire it. “Saw one of their concerts when I was a kid, been my favorite ever since.”

He found the little jukebox that would play a sample of their music and pressed the button on top so they could both listen. There were a few other people with them, but they were in the AC/DC room, they had to expect to hear some AC/DC.

After a second or two, the opening to Cyberspace started playing. He leaned against the wall and watched for Steve’s reaction. To the average person, it would look like he didn’t have a reaction at all, but the small quirks of his expression told him that he didn’t think it was half bad. He came over to stand next to Tony, looking at nothing in particular.

“This was fun, I’m glad we came.”

Tony smiled and looked down. “Yeah,”

  
  
  


After exiting the Hall, they only had to drive a couple miles to get to Lake Erie. They settled on one of the pebbled shores, a lighthouse not too far to their right. 

From where they were, it looked like an ocean. It spanned over the curve of the Earth, making the other side of the lake invisible. 

Steve had begun skipping rocks against the waves, usually getting 5 or 6 skips with each throw. Tony started barbarically bashing two rocks together, trying to sharpen one into a small arrowhead. 

It was almost like a beach date, except not on the beach and not a date. Just as it should be. 

Tony was more than okay with repressing his stupid feelings if it meant he could be this comfortable around Steve. The guy was from the 40’s and it was pretty evident that most of his beliefs were still intact. _“Hey Steve, I like men”_ would be a dealbreaker, but explaining bisexuality would end in disaster, so that was a no. Plus, he was content with this. Just, hanging out.

Tony was brought back to the present with a rock to the forehead. Looking up, he saw Steve squatting next to him and smiling. Damn that smile. “Hi.”

“What’s up, Cap?”

He shrugged, “I dunno, wanted to say thanks, I guess, for coming with me. I could have come on my own, but it’s nice to have company,”

“Don’t thank me yet, We still have 4 days to kill each other in our sleep,” Tony said. 

“If I ever wanted to kill you, Stark, I don’t think I’d need to take you out into the country as an elaborate cover up.”

He chuckled. Cap was right, the team would probably turn a blind eye if he ever went mysteriously missing. “You never know, there’s still time,”

Steve scoffed. “We love you and you know it.”

He did know it, and he loved them back. But whether he was going to admit that was debatable.

  
  
  


Once they grabbed some hot dogs for lunch, they got back onto the road. Steve was the one driving this time, so Tony got to choose the next stop and what music was played.

Since Cap has the courtesy of playing something they would both like, he tried finding something more his style, but still enjoyable for Steve and his _whatever_ he had going on.

After a bit of searching, he found something. Not particularly his favorite, but he thought Steve might appreciate it. Ol’ reliable, Elvis Prestley.

He played it on his phone with the volume all the way up, since he didn’t know all the channels on the radio like Steve did. Burning Love was always a good choice. Plus, he was pretty sure Steve had seen Lilo and Stitch at least once.

He heard Cap humming again and looked over. There was a rumbling deep in his chest that gave the sound a unique charm. He always liked Cap’s singing.

“Your kisses lift me higher, like the sweet song of a choir,” 

Tony’s voice was small at first. He was unsure of himself. “You light my morning sky with burning love,”

Steve stole a glance in his direction, and Tony could see pink creeping down the tips of his ears.

“Oo-oo-ooh, I feel my temperature rising. Help me I’m flaming-“ He got a louder and nudged Cap.

“I must be a hundred and nine,” Steve joined in with a light chuckle.

“Burning burning burning, And nothing can cool me. I just might turn to smoke, but I feel fiiine-“

They both sang the chorus, Tony tapping on the top of the glovebox as a mock drum and Steve shaking his head as if to say _‘what has my life become?’_

Another chorus and some lyrics about a hunk of burning love later, they were quiet. Again, it was friendly silence, something he could deal with.

Tony had put a playlist of 60’s and 70’s music on in the background and was now checking for tourist traps in Indiana.

“Ooh, there’s a Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Indiana. You up?”

Cap rolled his eyes, “Isn’t that a children’s museum?”

“Please, you’d put it past me to take us to a children’s museum? Besides, we’ve already been to one Hall of Fame, why not make it a theme?”

He shook his head. Sighing loudly, he looked over to Tony, “Alright, fine. When we get close, tell me where to go.”

Luckily, the time passed faster this time. Illinois wasn’t exactly a spectacle, but Steve got a kick at mooing at a few cows. The music helped fill the void and they had a few conversations about embarrassing moments and life before their respective _incidents_. 

  
  
  


After finally arriving at the Mascot Hall of Fame and going through it far quicker than they anticipated, they decided to walk around the city before finding a motel. Every city, town, and neighborhood in the U.S. had a Motel 6, so it wouldn’t be hard to find.

They found a quaint burger place for dinner. It was nothing spectacular, but it was still good. The waiting staff was nice and understanding, so Steve badgered Tony about leaving a tip until he gave in. To be fair, the waitress deserved it. 

He had ordered a milkshake to go and slowly drained it as they walked around. This was nice. He could do this every day. It wasn’t often that just him and Steve went out and had fun.

They did, in fact, easily find a Motel 6 to crash in. He made sure to get one with two beds. He wasn’t desperate, after all.

Steve had taken the bed closest to the door, of course. Both offense and defense were easier there, though he didn’t know why Cap expected any intruders. Maybe it was just an instinctual thing.

Either way, he was comforted knowing that Steve would protect him.

They turned on the TV and flipped to the most interesting channel, which happened to be Animal Planet. While Steve watched a group of sharks rip a dead whale to shreds, Tony decided to look for hotels that weren’t booked. 

Sure, Motel 6 was okay, but he could do much better. Then again, that required planning their route. Tony wanted a break from planning. He’d enjoyed the spontaneity of their journey so far, and they’d already traveled half way in a day - they had plenty of time to do whatever.

So, he put his phone away and went into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable. Once he was out, he saw that Cap had put on his pyjamas while he was alone.

The bad part was, he didn’t have a shirt on.

He stood there and very obviously stared at Steve’s bare chest. _Damn_.

After a moment, Steve seemed to realize Tony was looking at him. “Ah, sorry, I expected you to take longer- I should have waited for you to get out- I’m sorry-” He nervously pushed his way to the bathroom.

It wasn’t like he’d never seen Steve shirtless before, but it was usually when he was injured or something of the sorts. He had never really been given the chance to admire him.

He sat down on his bed and did his best to focus on the television. Now, there was a school of fish on screen. He wasn’t paying attention to what the narrator was saying.

Steve came back out a few seconds later - wearing a shirt this time - and sat on his own bed to watch. It was peaceful.

Before he knew it, he was drifting off to the sound of Morgan Freeman describing the mating process of jellyfish, which would have been more disturbing if he weren’t as tired as he was. But oh well, those were worries for Future Tony. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.


	2. Tony called it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOO i finished the chapter  
> this is epic  
> anyway enjoy more shirtless steve and also a conversation about existential fears woo

When he woke up, it was around 3:30 AM, which didn’t bother him until he realized it was 4:30 in New York. How long had he slept in?

He was less worried when he saw Steve sleeping peacefully in the bed across from his. At least he wasn’t the only one. 

He got up as quietly as he could and started brewing a pot of coffee. Cap must have turned the TV off before he went to sleep, because Animal Planet was no longer informing him of killer whales brutally torturing their prey. 

While his morning ambrosia was brewing itself, he grabbed the remote and turned on the television, switching channels until he found the news. The anchor was going on about some fall festival that seemed uninteresting. On the weather side of things, it looked like it was going to be windy, but nothing too bad. There was a backup on the I-80, which would be a problem. Better to detour than wait through traffic like that.

He was startled by feeling Steve’s presence behind him, holding a hand to his chest to calm his heartbeat.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” He backed up a step when Tony looked at him.

“Careful, Cap, last time someone snuck up on me like that I ended up with an atomic nightlight in my chest.” The engineer put down the remote and went back to the coffee maker. “Coffee?”

Steve smiled endearingly. His eyes sparkled like the motel pool outside their door. “No thanks, I don’t drink coffee.”

Tony shrugged and poured himself a cup. “We can’t take the I-80 today, at least getting out of Indiana, it’s blocked. I’ll have to find a different route.”

He heard a soft ding from his bedside table and walked over to pluck his phone off its charger. It was a text from Rhodey.

_you two had sex yet?_

He scoffed. 

_you fucken would rhodes_

He sent the message and silenced his phone, repacking what little he had removed from his bag.

After finishing his coffee, Tony took a quick shower, threw his dirty clothes into his suitcase, and before they knew it they were out the door and on the road. Tony was the one driving again.

  
  
  


Steve started pointing things out that he knew Tony wouldn’t be able to look at. Not to distract him, _hopefully, at least,_ but to let him experience it too. The whole point of a road trip is, as the saying goes, “the journey, not the destination”. 

The way streams sparkled under the sunlight, how trees swayed peacefully in the breeze, animals sitting by the side of the road. Steve described them to him because he knew he wouldn’t be able to see them himself. He appreciated it.

They were in the middle of practically nowhere when Tony took a glance at the fuel gauge, doing a double take when he saw how little gas there was left. “Hey, uh, Cap? How far ‘till the next gas station?”

After a pause, Steve answered, “Not too far actually. About 15 kilometers.”

“You use the metric system?” 

“Of course I do, Tony, I’ve been all over the world. The U.S. is just about the only country that uses the imperial system,”

Tony shook his head, “No, no, you’re forgetting Myanmar and Liberia. That’s very inconsiderate of you,”

Steve breathed out a laugh and rubbed his face with one hand. “I swear to God, Tony..”

After 10 minutes, they finally got to a gas station. Tony stepped out and began filling up their tank while Steve went into the mini-mart.

He stood there, watching the little number on the machine gradually go up until they had enough fuel. He took out the nozzle, paid the machine and got back into his seat. A minute later, Steve came out of the convenience store with a few unidentifiable sticks in one hand and some sodas in the other.

“Hey,” Steve handed him a drink and some of the sticks over the door. Tony looked at them and realized they were Slim Jims. “Not sure what you like, so I got you a Coke,”

“Thanks,” 

He nodded. “I can drive, if you want,”

Tony immediately got out of the car. “Oh, thank God. Another hour of sitting and I think I would have died,”

Cap walked around the car to get into the driver’s seat as Tony hopped into the back and lied down. Finally, a comfortable position. He was going to have the _worst_ posture after this. (Not that it was great in the first place.)

He began munching on the Slim Jims as they began on the road again, listening to the radio. It was soothing. 

He watched the clouds pass above him, his head on the seat cushions and his feet dangling out the side of the car. They were only small whisps here and there, nothing interesting to look at, so he turned onto his side and stared at the back of Cap’s seat. He had been sticking empty Slim Jim wrappers in the netted pocket for the past hour. Not the best form of storage, he had to admit.

He noticed that Steve’s soda was a Grape Crush. He’s never seen him have a Grape Crush before, but who was he to judge? Steve always was the one to try new things. He took another swig of his Coke. It wasn’t refreshing by any means, but it was better than the fading taste of toothpaste.

Cap reached down to grab his drink, giving Tony a clear look at his bicep. He could have sworn he was doing that just to screw with him. Though, he could admit that he didn’t mind the view. 

He turned back to looking at the sky. There were a few more clouds. Something to distract him from wherever his mind wanted to go.

He studied the gathering storm overhead. Well, less of a storm and more of a moderate rain, but it looked like it was getting worse. 

He brought out his phone and checked the forecast. They weren’t in any towns, though, so there wasn’t a reading. Damn it. They’d have to hope the weather didn’t follow them.

Unfortunately, it seemed like it would.

  
  
  


It was raining and they had to put the hood up to prevent ruining the inside of the car. They were well into Nebraska and Tony had moved back to the front seat. The sound that the windshield made when rain landed on it was satisfying. This was good.

Well, it was good up until they felt the car wobbling. Steve pulled off the highway and into the nearest truck-stop.

“Shit,” He and Cap were standing out in the rain with no umbrellas and a tire with a hole in it. He had his hands up to his forehead and was pacing around the car. “I saw this coming, _ugh._ ” He groaned.

Cap rolled his eyes. “Come on, Tones, let’s at least get to some shelter,” He grabbed Tony’s hand and practically dragged him to the nearby cafe. Why did this place even have a cafe? 

The question was swiftly replaced with a warmth in his chest as he realized they were holding hands. His efforts had all been in vain.

Once they were inside, they stood in the waiting area. Steve was looking at the car through the window and Tony was surveying the inside of the cafe. It was like Subway but with a waiting staff.

He turned to look at Cap. He could see the man’s jaw clench and unclench impatiently, which was surprising. He was usually an incredibly patient man. Maybe he was thinking about something else. He’d like to ask what it was, but decided against it. Intimacy is a situation he didn’t want to find himself in right now.

“Tony?” 

He must have zoned out, because now Steve was looking at him expectantly. 

“Sorry, what?”

He noticed that Steve had gotten much closer to him. 

“Sorry, you were just kind of staring at me,” _Shit._

He expertly hid the red creeping onto his face by shaking his head and looking away. “Just zoned out for a sec,”

The man pursed his lips in some kind of reply that Tony didn’t understand. This was okay. 

He felt the blush creeping back up his neck and it was no longer okay. He stepped back and cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

“Sorry for the wait, we’re ready to seat you now,” A voice came from behind him and he looked over his shoulder. There was a hostess waiting patiently next to her stand.

Was she talking to them? He looked to Steve, who eyed the woman nervously, “Oh no, we just came in here to get out of the rain. We’re not- we didn’t-“

The lady raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. There was a long pause before she spoke, “Okay, well there’s an inn just over there,” She pointed behind herself, “You can stay there if you need to.”

“Is there anywhere we can get a tire replacement around here?” Tony asked.

The woman shook her head. He cursed under his breath and wiped away the rainwater that was creeping down from his scalp.

Then it actually hit him. Without a replacement tire, unless Steve was willing to _walk_ to the next town and find an auto shop, they were stranded. Steve seemed to realize that too, because now they were exchanging alarmed looks.

“I think the inn would be a good idea.” Steve said.

They thanked the hostess and left to get a room _._ The only problem was the inn only had a few two bed rooms, and they were all booked. Either that, or the clerk thought they were together, in which case _what the fuck._

Tony begrudgingly nodded and Cap got the room key, leading them where the clerk said to go.

Tony was opening his mouth to offer Steve take the bed once they got into the room, but Steve beat him to it. “I’ll take the floor,”

It wasn’t even a question, which was a little bit irritating. He knew Steve was better accustomed to sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces, but he wasn’t just going to accept it without a fight. He was stubborn, but he was going to own it, damnit.

“No, you can take the bed, I’m fine,”

He frowned. “I insist.”

Tony was now dragging both of their suitcases to lean against the wall, not facing the man. “I do too, and I think you could use a little beauty rest,” He said. He got a little smirk out of that.

“Tony,” Cap said, exasperated. “This can’t be what we’re arguing about right now,”

“Plus, you’re always going on about me having to toughen up. I think sleeping on the floor is like the least amount of effort I can put into that.”

“Well, we can’t both sleep on the floor,”

“And we can’t both sleep on the bed,” Steve seemed a little relieved at that which, he’s not gonna lie, stung a bit (despite the fact that he was feeling the exact same way).

He turned around to look back at Steve, arms crossed. “Well, then, let’s flip a coin,”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “We don’t have a coin,”

“J, flip a coin for me,” Tony said, tapping the small earpiece he had in.

“Right away, Sir.”

“You brought your earpiece?”

“‘Course I did, Cap, you always gotta be prepared. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t bring yours,”

Jarvis cut in. “Who has heads?”

“Mm, I get heads, Steve get’s tails.” Steve pouted a bit.

“It’s tails, Mr. Stark,” Jarvis said.

“It’s heads, I get the floor.”

“Whatever you say, sir-“ Tony tapped his earpiece again to silence Jarvis. He opened the blinds to look outside. It wasn’t getting dark yet, but it was close.

“I think we should go back to that restaurant and grab something to eat. We haven’t had much today.”

Steve nodded. He grabbed his jacket from his suitcase _(why hadn’t Tony thought of packing one?)_ and they went back to the cafe. This time, the hostess was waiting for them. 

“Alright, Mr. Stark, I’m assuming you’ll have a table for two?”

“Uh, yeah,” He was confused as to why she knew who he was at first, but then he realized that the big blue arc reactor in his chest was probably a dead giveaway.

The woman led them to a small table with two black metal chairs on either side. “Please, sit, someone will be with you shortly,” She said. After placing down two menus, she turned and walked through a door that probably led to the back room.

They sat there, waiting. Usually Tony was great at initiating conversation, even with strangers, but he couldn’t think of a single thing to talk about with Steve. Nothing came.

Soon enough, a waiter approached them. He took out a small notepad and pen to write their orders on. “Hello, I’m Charlie, I’ll be your waiter for tonight. Can I get you started with some drinks?”

“Eh, I’ll have a Pepsi,” Tony said.

The waiter looked to Steve. “And you?”

“I’ll just have a water.”

The waiter nodded and walked away. They were alone again.

Before long they got their drinks and were prompted about their food. 

“Can I have some fish fish and chips?” Steve said, looking at the menu. 

“You like fish?” Tony raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, I love fish. You don’t?” He looked at him over the top of the laminated paper.

He paused for a moment. “I dunno, I've never tried it.”

“Really? Tell you what, I’ll get extra fish and we can share it. If you like it, you can have some. If you don’t, more for me.”

The waiter waited there patiently. Well, of course, that was his job.

“Yeah, sure, why not?”

Cap nodded, looking back at the boy, “I’ll have some extra fish, please.”

The waiter nodded and wrote it down on his notepad. “And would you like a refill on your drinks?”

They both shook their heads. He nodded again and walked back towards the kitchen to drop off the order. 

Tony leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Well, this is a charming establishment,”

“Yeah, pretty sure they have them at every Sapp Bros.”

“Oh, that’s what this place is called?”

“Yeah. I think this one has a water tower that somehow passes as a coffee cup,” Cap leaned back in his chair.

“How big?”

“The biggest,”

“Biggest water tower or biggest coffee cup?” 

“Coffee cup.”

“Well, then,” Tony smirked, “Maybe it’ll be enough to keep me awake for a day?”

Steve huffed out a laugh. God, that laugh. “I bet it wouldn’t last four hours in your lab.”

“Six,” He said.

“Let’s settle on five,”

Tony extended his hand and Steve shook it firmly. They had come to an agreement. That’d be a first.

After a long while of silence, accompanied by the humming of Steve and quiet singing from the speakers over their heads, the waiter finally arrived with their food. They thanked him and turned their attention to the five strips of deep fried seafood and fries. They were tucked neatly into a red basket, protected from the table by a checkered piece of paper. They didn’t look terrible, but he was skeptical.

Cap grabbed a couple of french fries and stuck them in his mouth, handing a strip of cod to Tony. He took it hesitantly. It’s not like it was poisoned, there was no reason for him to fear the fish. It was just fish. He took a bite.

And, _wow_ , that was good. Way better than he expected. He must have made a noise, because Steve chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “See, Tones? Don’t knock it ‘till you try it,”

His chest warmed for no discernible reason. Steve never called him ‘Tones’ before today. He, unlike Tony, rarely gave people nicknames. The only nickname he could think of was Bucky, but that didn’t exactly end well. 

By the end of dinner the sun was almost set, and it was still raining. 

Cap paused before they stepped out. “Do you want my jacket?”

“Why would I want your jacket?” Tony asked. “It’s not like I’m gonna freeze in the rain, it’s just rain.”

He looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it.

“What?”

“Well-“ He seemed like he was still figuring out whether he wanted to say it or not. “I- y’know, you’re more susceptible to getting sick so I thought,“ He made a noise, hoping that would finish his sentence for him.

“Wait,” Tony looked at him, confused. “How did you-“

“Pepper told me?” He smiled sheepishly.

“Well, you better not go blabbing about it to the press, or Captain America just might go on another extended vacation in the Pacific.” He knew the media vultures would eat him alive if they found out he was immunocompromised. He couldn’t have that.

Steve put his hands up defensively, “Look, I just thought I’d ask!”

Tony huffed, but gestured toward him anyway. “Just give me the damn jacket,”

Cap obliged happily. The jacket was oversized but it would keep him significantly more dry. Even though he didn’t show it, he was grateful.

They made it back to their room and Tony pulled off the jacket, handing it back to Steve. “Thanks for,” he thought carefully about the words he wanted to say. “Thanks for looking out for me.” 

Steve nodded. “You need to use the bathroom? ‘Cause I’m gonna shower,”

Tony shook his head and let him pass.

After he was sure Cap wasn’t going to come barging out to grab something he forgot, he took off his shirt. It had been sticking to his stomach uncomfortably for the past 45 minutes without drying, so he decided it was better to strip it off then stay uncomfortable.

Since he knew no one would be in the room for a while, he didn’t switch shirts. He just lied down on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. His thumb rubbed the edge of the arc reactor absentmindedly. 

Before he knew it, the bathroom door was opening and he jumped back up to grab a new shirt. But it was too late.

They stood on opposing sides of the room facing each other. Steve was mostly dry, aside from his hair. And shirtless. Again. He noticed Steve’s cheeks go pink, then noticed his own do the same. Oh my God, he was going to die right there and then.

Neither of them moved.

He was expecting Steve to do something, say something, but there was silence.

“Okay,” He said, much quieter than he intended to, “Why don’t we put our shirts back on?”

There was another second of silence before Steve nodded.

He stood up straight and put on a tank top. Maybe not the best choice at that moment, but it was his only option. He really needed to find a laundromat or something.

He sat down on the bed and faced the wall so Steve could put his shirt on. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, oh God, what the hell, fuck._

If he didn’t scream or spontaneously combust any time soon he didn’t know what he would do. What was there to do? He was probably overthinking it, but it wasn’t like he could just shut off the overthinking aspect of his brain. 

He took a deep breath. If it helped Hulk calm down, there was no reason it shouldn’t do the same for him. And, it did kind of work.

He knew Steve was fully dressed, so he got up and lied back down on the floor. There wasn’t a blanket for him, but he could go without one.

They waited a long time before anyone spoke.

“Do you have a fear?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I’m scared of the ocean,” Tony said.

“Really?”

“Have you ever seen what’s down there? Real creepy lookin’ fish, you know?”

Steve chuckled, “Yeah, I’m scared of the ocean too.”

Tony now felt slightly guilty.

“It’s something you never forget, going into the ice. It’s… you could be stuck down there forever, alive but never able to get out. Nobody would know,”

“I mean, we found you the first time, didn’t we?”

“You’re not always going to be there, though. I could go in and stay there, forever.”

There was silence. He let out a short breath. “My- you know how my arc reactor is an electromagnet?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“It’s not an electromagnet. The reactor _powers_ an electromagnet.” He closed his eyes. “I’m… my arc reactor isn’t affected by EMP’s, but it can still be shut off. I could-“ He didn’t know if he should be telling this to Steve, but who else could he trust with this? He’s been carrying it around forever, he might as well dump it onto someone who can keep it secret.

“It’s scary, knowing that the one thing keeping you alive can just.. can be shut off by someone who’s smart enough.”

“Tones,” He heard Steve sit up, “You’re probably the smartest man in the world. Even if someone could do that, you’d find another way. Build a better, stronger reactor,”

“Woah, what happened to the other two guys?” Tony laughed.

“Do we need to work on accepting compliments?”

“Well,” He sighed. “You’re pretty smart too, Cap. You’re always saying you learn from your mistakes, right? You’ve learned. You can avoid all airline flights that pass over the Pacific Ocean. You’re stronger now, you’re,” He smiled to himself. “You’re greater than what you were then, during the war. Better than in the stories.”

“Thank you, Tony.”

“Thank you first, Steve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m tired and it’s late, if there are mistakes please let me know, i’ll fix them tomorrow


	3. AUTHOR’S NOTE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just an a/n :)

hey folks! just here to let you know that i’m finally working on ATC again.

i stopped for a while because of burnout, and if you follow me you know i restarted with other content. i may have forgotten about this for a bit haha. sorry.

BUT! i’m gonna start working on it again and hopefully chapter 3 should be out by next month. _hopefully._

sorry for the wait yall. doing my best!


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